


Summer Rain

by Sketchup



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Arcanaverse, F/F, Original Character(s), Rain, The Arcana Next Generation, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sketchup/pseuds/Sketchup
Summary: It's a rainy night, and Rhys finds herself outside the window of a particular flower shop...
Relationships: Anke/Rhys, Anke/Rhys Devorak
Kudos: 1





	Summer Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LazyVoyager](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyVoyager/gifts).



All summer, Vesuvia had been dry. Then, without warning, the skies at last let loose a downpour that swallowed up the streets and blocked everything from view. Sheets of rain pounded into canals and aqueducts, filling them nearly to bursting. Uncovered windows were shuttered against the deluge as the citizens both sighed with relief and held their breath that there wouldn’t be flooding. Too much rain could do as much damage as too little, after all.

Rhys stood with her back to moist terracotta bricks, out of the rain and yet still dampened by the force of mist and spray around her. The flood had caught her unaware, as well as the rest of the city--and so somehow she found herself here, under this particular awning, outside of this particular flower shop, in a city that felt empty and alone. Yet there was warmth and light pouring from the shutterless window to her right; even as rivulets of water dug trenches through the flowerbeds under her feet, potted flowers on the windowsill seemed to sway jauntily in the unexpected shower. If she listened, just beyond the sound of beating water on muddy streets, she could hear someone softly humming. The sound was, she thought, kind of off-key, and yet the sweetness made up for the lack of skill. 

Why was she here again? Why did her feet seem to take her to this area every time she wasn’t thinking about it? And now, here she was, trapped beside the flower shop, uncertain of what she wanted to do and not knowing the why of any of it. 

That woman was suspicious. She kept telling herself that was why she was here. Why Rhys was vigilantly keeping an eye on her. After all, she knew what she had seen that night. All the pieces almost fit into place. If she kept at it, surely she would find some evidence to confront her with. Anke, who appeared out of nowhere one day, trying to be helpful and spouting nonsense about Rhys being pretty. What was that supposed to mean, anyway? And why did she smell so good? It wasn’t the flowers.

Although she was normally on her toes, the rain combined with her spiraling thoughts meant she leapt up like a scalded cat when a sudden voice spoke from her right. The singing had stopped, but the sound of her words had the same bright tone, with that foreign lilt that Rhys often heard directed towards customers.

Now it was speaking to her again.

“Leifja, what are you doing outside my window in the rain?”

There was a split second where Rhys considered taking off. A little--okay a lot--of water wouldn’t kill her, and she could just escape this whole interaction entirely. But for some reason, even as her muscles tensed to run, her brain didn’t follow through. It seemed to stall out, unsure of what she wanted to do. Instead, she looked away, giving a non-committal huff. Then she could feel a rustle, and when she looked back, the woman was gone from the window, as silently as she had crept up to it. Rhys couldn’t help herself--she stuck her head through, looking around, surprised by the quickness. Inside, the shop was homely and warm, covered in flowers and smelling vaguely of burnt sugar. The proprietress was nowhere to be seen.

And then she jumped back again as a tall, curvy figure appeared next to her from the shadows of the rain, a streaming umbrella held above her head, her brilliantly blue eyes fixed on Rhys. If the cold and rain hadn’t done it before, she was now very aware of the gooseflesh covering her arms and legs. Anke’s eyes followed hers, taking in her wet tank top and shorts. She seemed to catch her breath, a heavy moment before their gazes met again. Underneath the umbrella, heavy curtains of rain surrounding them, it might have been possible that they were the only two people who existed in Vesuvia. 

“...Do you want to come inside?”

“...Okay.”


End file.
